A Shelby Mistress

Resting Place

"And you say you were experiencing back pain?" Eleanor asked staring sympathetically at Aurora who was perched on the end of the bed, her shoulders slumped in defeat and her thumb nail tightly gripped within her teeth. Aurora had stopped crying shortly after entering the room but now looked in a state of absence, her eyes glued on Eleanor yet they weren't looking at her. The box containing the foetus was now resting beside Eleanor and waiting to be examined. It hurt Eleanor to pry it from Aurora's hands but it had to be done, Eleanor's concern was for Aurora and she needed to make sure the miscarriage had happened naturally and without any possible complications.

"Yes.......I thought it might 'ave been the bed I was sleeping in, I was on the road you see, running away from me problems.....as I always do" Aurora muttered recalling the time she had ran away shortly after the war and Bill's death. The urge to run away now was pulling at her insides, she needed to escape this nightmare and forget yet there would be no forgetting, there never was.
"And how far along were you Aurora?"
More painful questions to be followed by equally painful answers. Recalling the few weeks of happiness she had experienced after finding out about her boy was almost too much for Aurora to bare.
"Thirteen weeks and two days" Aurora sighed, both her hands and voice shaking as she tried to fight the oncoming tears. She had spent ten weeks of her pregnancy unaware she was even pregnant and sitting there, at the end of the hospital bed, Aurora wished she had known sooner.
"At this stage the foetus measures around 2.9 inches" Eleanor declared as she picked up the box and slowly began to open it to look inside.
"Like a little lemon" Aurora whispered with a sad smile remembering his tiny body resting within the palm of her hand, too delicate and precious to touch.
"Yes a little lemon indeed" Eleanor nodded, examining the foetus to make sure everything was intact. Sometimes she felt cruel to be relieved that it was but it meant there was less complications for the women and lowered the risk of infections.
A few moments passed by agonisingly slow before Eleanor finished up with her examination and carefully closed the box.
"Everything appears to be intact but I would still like to examine you dear. It's important for me to know exactly what is happening within your uterus as no miscarriage is the same. Please would you remove your undergarments and lay back on the bed" Eleanor explained turning towards Aurora with a reassuring smile.

Once again Aurora found herself staring up at the ceiling wishing with all her might that this was just another part of a nightmare she would wake up from soon. Her body and mind felt numb, like there was nothing there except the awful tugging of her heart. She felt angry for wanting to be in the arms of the man she loved most, for wanting him to march through the door and tell her it was going to be ok but he wasn't going to do that and Aurora was completely alone until Polly got here. She was glad to have Polly, Polly would help her and Polly was the only person who knew.
The examination seemed to go on for the whole night yet as Eleanor lifted her head, Aurora turned to the window and saw it was still dark. The sky was clear and the stars were bright making the heavens appear magical and beautiful.
"Everything appears to be as it should be my love but I would like to come see you next week to follow up on your well-being and if you should feel as if anything is wrong in the meantime please come back to the hospital" Eleanor told Aurora and turning away from the window, Aurora stared at her, one question weighing on her mind.
"Was it my fault? I've been goin' through some troubling times lately and I've been struggling to be happy. Did I put too much stress on the baby?" Aurora asked, her eyes wide in terror and filled with unshed tears.
"Oh no sweetheart, never blame yourself. Sadly miscarriage is more common than you think and a lot of women go through it including myself. It is easy for us women to blame ourselves when we do not know the cause but I promise you what has happened will never be your fault" Eleanor softly tried to reassure Aurora. From her own personal experience she knew the poor woman would blame herself for a while but she would come through in the end and banish her doubts.
"Thank you, am I free to go? I want to bury him" Aurora questioned, glancing a box in anguish. She shouldn't have to bury her baby, he was still supposed to be inside her, resting happily and growing strong.
"Do you have someone waiting to take you home?" I don't want to let you leave on your own" Eleanor enquired, her eyebrows burrowed in concern.
"Me Aunt Polly is on her way from Birmingham" Aurora informed her, a small exhausted yawn escaping her lips as she did so.
"Well I want you to try and get some sleep until she arrives. I'll tell Mary at the front desk to let your Aunt come on up once she's here" Eleanor smiled softly, a hint of demand behind her tone. She couldn't possibly let Aurora leave on her own, she needed someone to watch over her.
"Ok, thank you again" Aurora tried to smile back yet all she could manage was a hint of a grimace. She was thankful for Eleanor's help but she couldn't bring herself to smile.
"You're welcome, now please try and rest. I'm sure your Aunt will be here soon" Reaching down Eleanor took Aurora's hand within hers and give it a gentle squeeze before turning away and leaving the room.